Monday, April 19, 2010

Happy Monday! We had such an enjoyable weekend. We got so much done. We spent Saturday with friends, which is always fun. Rit finished cleaning out the Hudling in preparation for the closing this Wednesday. That house has been a thorn and a blessing. We bought it cheap and run-down, but we could see it’s inner beauty. It’s blossomed now, and we will miss it.

I also spent some time this weekend finishing up those half-completed projects that are piling up around me. We went through all of our clothes recently and came up with an ENORMOUS pile of clothes to get rid of. We donated some, gave some to friends, and I kept some to use for future projects.

That is a lot of clothes. I pulled out a few much-loved sweatshirts. You know the kind—you wear them until they are full of holes and tattered, but that kind of enduring love and wear has created a softness in the fabric not found in new clothing. It must be earned.

Using a cutting mat and a rotary cutter, I cut these three sweatshirts (periwinkle, barn red and buttercream yellow) into 8” squares…or variations of the 8” square. I wanted to use as much of the fabric as possible, so some of the cuts were 8” x 6” or 8” x 3”. As long as one of the measurements was 8”, it would work.

Once I had all three completely cut up into usable pieces, I laid out my design. I worked in rows, making sure to distribute the colors as evenly as possible. I then stacked the rows in individual piles and started sewing. I sewed the pieces together to make rows and stacked them. I then began to sew the rows together, being careful to keep their original order in place.

After I had the front of the blanket sewn, I found a piece of 60” wide fleece from my stash. I cut the fleece to match the size of the blanket and pinned the blanket and fleece together, right sides facing each other. I sewed the front and back together, leaving an opening about 10” wide.

I turned the blanket right side out and stitched around the edge twice—once and 1/4” and then again at 1/2”, making sure to close the opening. I like the look of the double stitch finish.

It took me a few hours to complete the entire blanket. And now the fast-growing Eric has a blanket that will actually cover his entire body!

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About Michelle (Utah)

Oldest sister, mother of 5.

About Amy (Utah)

Second oldest of the clan. I love to cook and be a mom. I'm the mother of six children ranging in age from 18 to 5. I have been lucky enough to stay at home with my children and have learned how to live on a budget (most of the time). I also enjoy reading, learning to be self reliant and spending time with my wonderful husband and beautiful children.

About Dayna (Utah)

Third in line and mother of 5.

About Kate (Wisconsin)

Fourth of six kids, I have two adorable boys (ages 3 & 4) and hope to add more to our brood. I'm a self-employed artist, trying to do more with less, reduce, reuse and recycle and teach my kids to do the same. I love to create, cook, bake, sew, garden, read, travel and play. I'm all about finding creative solutions. We are working on remodeling our dream home, eating better, playing harder and saving more.

About Hillary (Idaho)

Sister-in-law to the others and married to the only brother in the line-up, I'm an at-home mom of five little boys after welcoming twin boys in 2010. I love my husband and children, good books, naps, to-do lists, simple meals, a thing well said, imagining myself thin again, empty laundry baskets if that means the clothes are clean and not all over the floor, and the sound of my children playing together.

About Molly (Washington)

I am the youngest of the group. I have active 3-year-old twin daughters and one on the way. I am passionate about spending time with my adorable girls and husband, dancing, cooking, reading, traveling and eating. I really admire and love the women in my family and count myself lucky to also be able to stay at home with my children.